Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure relate to an image forming apparatus and a control method for the image forming apparatus.
Related Art
In recent years, digitization of information tends to be promoted, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimile machines used for output of digitized information and scanners used for digitization of documents become indispensable. In most cases, such image processing apparatuses have an image capturing function, an image forming function, and a communication function to serve as a multi-function peripheral capable of being used as a printer, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and a copier.
Among such image processing apparatuses, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that is one example of image forming apparatuses used for output of digitized documents is widely used. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus irradiates a photoconductor thereof with light to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, develops the electrostatic latent image with developer such as toner to form a toner image on the photoconductor, transfers the toner image to a sheet using a transfer device, and outputs the sheet with the transferred image.
After transferring the toner image developed on the photoconductor, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus removes residual electric charge from the photoconductor. The electric charge remaining on the photoconductor can be removed by irradiating a surface of the photoconductor with light (hereinafter called “charge removal irradiation”) or discharging the surface of the photoconductor (hereinafter called “charge removal discharge”).